CASA pre-service training class starts Monday

From CASA of Hill County

Hill County is in the midst of an explosion of reported cases of child abuse and neglect. Just over four months into the year, we are on track to shatter 2016’s record number of abuse cases in our court. Today, there are 60 abused and neglected children who are waiting for someone to step up and serve as their CASA.

Monday, May 15, at 5:30 p.m. in the HRDC Activity Room, CASA will present a 30-minute orientation to the FLEX Learning pre-service course, which prepares folks to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASAs.

A CASA is a member of the community who serves as the “eyes and ears” of the judge in child abuse and neglect cases. The Volunteer-Advocate gets to know a child and their specific circumstances to provide the knowledge necessary to treat the child as a person and not just a case number.

There are no previous experience or special skill requirements to become a CASA. You just need common sense and a passion to seek justice for children. The FLEX course – which incorporates 15 hours of self-paced study and 15 hours of in-class work, meeting 2 ½ hours, one night each week, for 5 weeks – provides the basic knowledge necessary to begin serving abused and neglected children in our court and our community.

People who want to learn more about our work or the FLEX course are invited to join us for this 30 minute orientation. Following the orientation, at 6pm, all are invited to join us for our CASA Monthly Meeting (6-8pm) where we will discuss developments, trends, and best practices in regards to the Indian Child Welfare Act.

To register in advance for FLEX, or to learn more about CASA or this orientation, please contact Mark Douglass at [email protected] or 406-265-6743 ext. 1135.